58,148 Americans were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2 million who served.
240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him.
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
U.S. Marines
The United States entered the war to prevent a communist leader to takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. Military arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement bumoed up in the early 1960s with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. marines were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. The war peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet offensive.
Vietnam
Vietnam War Facts:
- 58,148 Americans were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2 million who served.
U.S. Marines
The United States entered the war to prevent a communist leader to takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. Military arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement bumoed up in the early 1960s with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. marines were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. The war peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet offensive.240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him.
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.